Ibarra for the Day

trip to Ibarra. The distance is a piddling 25 km or 15.5 miles. Still, this seemingly minuscule distance took the bus 35 minutes. This is not due to bad roads, but because it stops just about every 10 feet to pick up or drop off passengers.

Regardless, it was a diversion. We had heard that particular crafts distinguish various towns in this area. San Antonio, located between Otavalo and Ibarra has a reputation for its wood carvers. There is nothing to give Ibarra a sense of esteem other than the colonial buildings, many of which are whitewashed, hence the nickname “White City”.

Ibarra sits at the foot of the Imbabura Volcano, so no eruptions or interruptions today, please. When we arrived at the minuscule bus station, we had no idea where the center of town happened to be. Asking several locals, we found the central park, which of course has a church. What we found striking about the park was the statures on each side that represented morals and values to live by.

We did visit two different churches, one being the cathedral.

There was a sign in the latter stating that they use alternative materials to celebrate Palm Sunday as the use of palms is destroying the environment for birds and other creatures that depend on the palm trees.

Another thing that impressed me was the free Wi-Fi zone in the park.

We have encountered this often in small towns in Ecuador, so it was not surprising. What did cause a double take was the llama penned in on the bus station grounds.